Revolution Meet With Former Argentina Manager

The New England Revolution met with former Argentina National team manager Daniel Passarella and discussed their vacant coaching job, according to Passarella’s agent.

Revolution blog The Bent Musket  reported that Passarella and his agent Matias Lipman met with General Manager Michael Burns for what Lipman described as a “simple interview”.

Passarella, who has not managed a team since his yearlong stint with River Plate in 2007, has an illustrious career as both a coach and a player.

As a player, Passarella was a defender who was most well-known for his scoring record, World Cup victories in 1978 and 1986 with Argentina, and his impressive aerial skills despite being five feet eight inches tall. Throughout his 18 year career with Sarmiento, River Plate, Fiorentina, Internazionale, and Argentina he scored 162 goals in 517 games as a defender, many of which headers. He was also known for being a great leader, as he was known as “El Gran Capitán” (the Great Captain), and is regarded as one of the best South American defenders of all time.

His managerial career has not been as illustrious as his play career. After retiring with River Plate in 1989, he took over as manager and won the Argentinian Primera División the following season. He then went on to win the Primera División Apertura title in 1991 and 1993. Following his time with River Plate, he went on to manager the Argentinian national team from 1994 to 1998 and then the Uruguayan national team from 1999-2001.

Passarella later moved to Mexico to manage Monterrey, where he won a Liga MX Clausura title in 2003. He also had less eventful and successful stints with Parma in Italy in 2001, Corinthians in Brazil in 2005, and then again with River Plate in 2007.

Passarella does have a controversial past as a manager, which stems from comments he made while he was the Argentina boss before the 1998 World Cup. Prior to the tournament, Passarella banned gay players from playing for the team, as well as not allowing his players to have long hair or earrings.

While the Revolution have not commented on the claims from Passarella’s Agent, Passarella remains the only name linked to the manager vacancy that is currently held by interim manager Tom Soehn.

The Revolution face off against NYCFC next on Oct. 15th at 7 p.m. in Foxboro.